TomTom and Microsoft Are Bringing Generative AI to Cars

Generative AI has built a reputation for its surprisingly advanced capabilities, as well as its tendency to go off the rails. So, what better application for this fledgling technology than driving? TomTom and Microsoft have announced a partnership to develop a "fully integrated" AI driving assistant that could be built into your next car. What could go wrong?

TomTom was almost a household name in the early days of GPS navigation. However, its importance has waned as GPS navigation became commonplace in phones and automotive head units. Still, the company has a huge amount of driving data, which is more valuable today with the advent of generative AI. After all, you need to feed large language models a lot of data before they can take off.

Partnering with Microsoft gives TomTom access to the latest OpenAI language models, as well as Microsoft's Azure cloud infrastructure. Its goal is to integrate the AI with its Digital Cockpit platform, which it hopes to sell to automakers. TomTom hasn't had a lot of luck getting companies to license its technology, but the new AI might help.

TomTom says it believes this AI will be more capable than the assistants built into smartphones. It will allow drivers to converse naturally to get directions and find locations. A properly designed chatbot could be less cumbersome than Google Assistant or Apple Siri, both of which often misunderstand commands and can be distracting to use behind the wheel. Being built into the vehicle would also make TomTom's AI more capable. Smartphone-based systems like Android Auto and CarPlay don't have access to onboard systems, but TomTom's AI could theoretically provide directions, adjust the AC, and roll up the windows all by itself.

Credit: TomTom

Is any of this a good idea? We'll see the TomTom AI in action when CES rolls around in a few weeks, reports PCMag. Until then, we'll just have to guess at the capabilities of this system. We've seen this new generation of AI bots have in-depth written conversations, but voice interaction is still rare due to AI response processing time. Google recently found itself in hot water after faking the voice conversation in its new Gemini AI demo. TomTom isn't the first to tinker with generative AI in a car. Earlier this year, Mercedes launched a short-term test of ChatGPT voice control in its cars.